How to Create and Promote an Inclusive and Diverse Culture - Portada
20/06/2023

How to Create and Promote an Inclusive and Diverse Culture

Terra is proud to be a certified women-owned and minority-owned business for which diversity and inclusion are at the core of our company culture. We believe teams win together when they are both diverse and inclusive. As a result, we cultivate an environment that promotes equity and celebrates differences, allowing all voices to be heard, acknowledged, and valued.

Keep reading to learn more about some of the initiatives we’ve implemented at Terra so far to help create and promote an inclusive and diverse culture.

Inclusive Institutional Communications

How we communicate with our employees matters. Naturally, as a global translation company, many of our employees speak different languages. Our communications incorporate inclusive language and are presented in both English and Spanish to accommodate our diverse workforce.

Strategic Sessions

To help promote inclusivity and diversity at Terra, we also host sessions that raise awareness on topics such as different types of diversity, inclusion, and unconscious biases—amongst other key topics. Having these conversations with our employees helps us better understand what we can do to improve inclusivity and reminds them of our commitment to building a diverse workforce.

Conscious Recruitment Process

How we hire is also taken into consideration when accounting for inclusivity and diversity. We use a conscious recruitment process where we ensure no bias affects the possibility of candidates being selected. This process helps us select the best person for the role without bias getting in the way.

Respect Gender Identities

At Terra, we respect all gender identities and expect our team to do so as well. We help promote the usage of correct gender identities for each individual employee when it comes to usernames, registers, signatures, and corporate communications.

Internal “Diversity and LGBTQ Community”

At Terra, we support diverse and LGBTW employees by hosting an Internal “Diversity and LGBTQ Community” channel where members share resources with each other. This channel helps promote an open dialogue about the topics that are important to our employees.

Inclusive Initiatives

We promote a variety of initiatives aimed at encouraging individuals to be their authentic selves. Terra has an internal newsletter that welcomes submissions of photos and relevant personal news members want to share, as well as a close-friends group on Instagram where we post trivia about members who volunteer to participate.

The Takeaway

Organizations have a lot to gain by prioritizing diversity and inclusion. Having a diverse workforce can lead to more innovation, can lead to increased revenue, and can help attract the right type of clients whose values align with yours.

By allowing employees of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to interact with each other, companies create a more vibrant workplace. Additionally, understanding the unique needs of a diverse set of employees helps a company better serve its target audience. Ultimately, by fostering an inclusive environment that values everyone’s contributions equally, companies can unlock unrivaled innovation built on true collaboration for their own success in the long run.

A commitment to promoting an inclusive and diverse culture in the workplace is an ongoing process driven by continuous improvement. There must be a serious commitment made by leadership as well as the team as a whole. As a company, Terra continues to work towards a more inclusive work environment for all.

What is the Difference Between VR, AR, MR, and XR - Portada
13/06/2023

What is the Difference Between VR, AR, MR, and XR?

There are many exciting new and emerging technologies making a splash these days and it can be easy to confuse them with one another. Virtual reality (VR) as well as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and extended reality (XR) are four types of technology that you likely hear referenced, but how do they differ? Keep reading to find out.

VR

VR is a type of immersive experience that involves simulating reality using computers. Headsets are a vital component of VR, as you can use reality headsets to experience realistic images, sounds, and even sensations—all of which help replicate the feeling of being in a real environment or an imaginary world. While it isn’t always possible to do so, an authentic VR environment makes it possible to engage all five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste).

AR

AR takes a real-world environment and augments elements using computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics, or GPS data. The point of AR is to augment existing reality and to add to it in one way or another. Currently, smartphones and tablets are the most common way to access AR, but some custom glasses are also being used. Pokémon Go is a great example of AR. With that game, players use their phone to interact with the world around them, finding and catching Pokemon in their own backyards/their surroundings.

MR

MR, which can also be referred to as hybrid reality, merges a virtual world and the real world to create a new environment. In a MR environment both physical and digital objects can co-exist and interact together in real time. MR can place new imagery within a real space and can make it possible to interact with this imagery in our physical world.

XR

XR is one of the more recent technologies emerging in the immersive virtuality space. XR stands for extended reality and encompasses all forms of combined real and virtual environments. AR, MR, and VR are all included in XR. You can think of XR as an umbrella that brings those three terms together. The term XR is helping group all of this technology together and is making this space less confusing for consumers.

When XR Goes Global

When consumers interact with these virtual worlds (whether VR, AR, or MR is being utilized), language is often involved in one way or another. This is why it’s so important to localize the content featured in these worlds. That way, users worldwide can take advantage of the new developments and trends in immersive virtuality without being blocked by a language barrier. Localization also takes cultural differences into account, which can apply to all of the senses that these technologies can utilize to create a more immersive world.

After all, if the point of these technologies is to create truly immersive experiences, then localizing the world you’re creating for your target audience can help accomplish that goal.

What is Technology Enhanced Learning and What are the Benefits
30/05/2023

What is Technology Enhanced Learning and What are the Benefits?

Technology touches virtually every area of our lives, including how we learn. Which is why it’s no surprise that Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is rising in popularity. In short, TEL applies technology to the process of teaching and learning. Many students find that TEL helps them learn information more quickly, understand it better, and retain that information for longer.

To better understand what TEL is and what its benefits are for students, keep reading.

What is Technology Enhanced Learning?

TEL is used to enhance the learning experience and how educators teach. Educators can turn to both analog and digital technologies to help their students learn more efficiently and effectively. Any technology that improves how someone learns can be considered TEL.

So, what does TEL look like exactly? Today, TEL can be found in the form of ebooks, video content, audiobooks, smartphone apps, computers, tablets, and video games. Virtual classrooms that make it possible to learn in group settings from the comfort of home are also an example of education opportunities that TEL can improve upon, as are e-learning courses.

The Benefits of Technology Enhanced Learning

Due to the pandemic shutting down schools and workplaces, TEL made a great impact on how many of us learned in the past few years. Thanks to TEL, it became possible to continue elementary, high school, college, and graduate-level education from home. Workplaces also embraced TEL to host employee trainings and many found that virtual trainings were both time and cost-effective.

TEL can be combined with more traditional learning techniques to meet a student’s needs. Other benefits include:

  • Versatility. TEL can accommodate accessibility features to appeal to different audiences by allowing users to alter font sizes or to listen to the audio content in lieu of reading written content.
  • Localization. It’s possible to localize TEL resources in a language that the user is most comfortable with.
  • Flexibility. TEL gives students the option to learn where and when is best for them.
  • Engaging. Many children find TEL style learning to be more engaging — this is especially true when gamification techniques come into play. Millennials who grew up with technology can also find TEL such as e-learning courses to be more engaging than attending an in-person lecture or reading a training manual.
  • Customizable. Students have the ability to learn at their own pace when learning via TEL instead of a physical classroom environment.
  • Less limiting. A textbook has a limit on how much information it can hold. Teachers now have the ability to get more creative and can turn to resources like video, audio, and interactive learning to help their students learn.

The Takeaway

Technology can be extremely beneficial in regard to providing quality learning experiences that adapt to each learner’s unique needs (whether those needs are related to a specific subject matter, a disability, or a preferred language for learning). Shying away from technology can do both teachers and students a disservice and it’s more than likely that TEL is here to stay.

Three important Aspects about Localization Project Management
23/05/2023

Three important Aspects about Localization Project Management

Working as a localization project manager requires a unique set of skills. Let’s take a closer look at the three most important aspects of localization project management to better understand where these skills come into play. 

Communication

All localization project managers need to be able to communicate effectively in order to make sure their team understands the goals and needs of a localization project. It’s important that localization project managers provide comprehensive notes to their team to ensure that the wrong content does not get translated. 

Because localization requires incorporating countless details, project localization managers need to be able to communicate what those details are as they evolve over the life of a project. Alongside communicating with the client and their team they may also need to communicate with external partners. It’s especially important that a localization project manager is able to effectively communicate client feedback to their team. 

How these communications can transpire vary and can happen over email, FTP, extranet, telephone, as well as in on-site meetings and through online databases.

Technology

For the localization process to be a success, the technical aspects of it need to be clear before the project even begins. Because of this, localization project managers can benefit from being technologically savvy by understanding file formats, platforms, and other requirements that will help them choose the best technological tools to aid their team during the project. Also, by being familiar with top tech tools, localization project managers can streamline certain steps of the localization workflow so that money and time are saved.

CAT tools, translation memory, term bases, and QA checks are all examples of tools that a localization project manager can implement into a project.

Risk Management

Risk management is a key part of the localization process that involves managing the uncertainties that can arise during the course of a localization project. When a localization project manager has strong risk management skills, they can proactively deal with uncertainties in a project before they even happen. You have to identify risk before it happens, not once a negative event occurs. Being able to both identify and foresee possible setbacks makes it so a localization project manager can come up with the best strategies and solutions to improve the chances of project success.

There are four different types of risk that a localization project manager can identify:

  • Technical Risks. This type of risk is related to the technical aspects of a project such as requirements, software, or quality.
  • External Risks. An external risk surrounds outside parties involved in a localization project including vendors or suppliers. External risks can also include factors outside the localization team’s control like market fluctuations or natural disasters.
  • Organizational Risks. A risk that a localization team has more control over is their organizational risk which relates to how a localization team organizes its workflows and operations.
  • Project Management Risks. These risks surround setbacks caused by estimating, planning, communicating or controlling the scope and course of a localization project.

These three essential aspects—communication, technology, and risk management—are frequently overlooked but are absolutely crucial to the success of a localization project.

The Role of Linguistics in Preventing the Spread of Fake News - Portada
16/05/2023

The Role of Linguistics in Preventing the Spread of Fake News

Today there is greater access to information than ever before and that accessibility grows by the day. While the internet, traditional media, and social media all play a positive role in spreading knowledge, there are times when these platforms are used to spread misinformation (whether it is done so knowingly or not). Thanks to the rise of social media, falsehoods that have the potential to cause great harm can spread rapidly. The algorithms social media brands use to encourage engagement can unfortunately help increase the speed at which misinformation spreads. As of late, misinformation (which is often referred to as fake news) has spread about very important topics such as issues relating to politics and health.

Work is being done to help combat the damage that fake news can cause and social media companies are attempting to shed light on which content is inaccurate by adding links to posts that direct users to official and updated information on the matter.

During the coronavirus pandemic, for example, we saw a lot of this happening in regard to drugs and vaccines, and many platforms deployed algorithms to detect this type of content and block it — especially social media platforms.

Unfortunately, the responsibility to engage with accurate content too often falls on the consumer, especially for those who engage in social media in languages other than English.

The Role of Linguistics in Fake News

The topic of fake news is gaining international relevancy and experts are using linguistics as a means to detect and prevent misinformation from spreading. Linguists in Norway at the University of Oslo are teaming up with computer scientists and artificial intelligence researchers at the independent research organization SINTEF to work to expose the language commonly used in fake news, which they are dubbing “Fakespeak”.

While this interest in learning more about how to fight the spread of misinformation online is excellent news, not everyone in the world is lucky enough to be exposed to these warnings, as oftentimes these detection mechanisms are only implemented and analyze text in English and a handful of mainstream languages. Many of these algorithms have yet to be programmed to work for less commonly spoken languages.

The Importance of Language Accessibility

It’s essential for social media platforms to consider other languages when they implement initiatives designed to help combat the spread of misinformation, as language accessibility is the key to equality when it comes to sharing information worldwide. Nowadays, many people learn the news via social media platforms and they don’t fact-check the information they are reading — they trust what they see.

As the internet continues to play a bigger role in our daily lives, it’s important that these platforms make conscious decisions about this and try to protect as many people as possible. Otherwise, they risk endangering their users who may make important and potentially life-threatening decisions based on the information they engage with.

Why is Localization Important For Your Brand
09/05/2023

Why is localization important for your brand?

Localization takes the translation process a step further by adapting content, video games, services, apps, online courses, and many different types of products to a specific local market. Alongside translating text, localization involves adapting formats, designs, colors, images, payment methods, cultural references, and any elements that can make an impact by being customized to meet the needs of a new market. 

Keep reading to better understand why localization is so important for your brand

Deeper connections and improved customer satisfaction

When you localize content or a product to a local market, you can better meet your customer’s needs in that market and can forge a deeper connection with them. Whenever a customer engages with your brand, you have a chance to build a connection with them. From your product, to customer support resources, to your checkout process, it’s important that your customers feel understood and appreciated. When you localize your brand to their unique market, it’s easier to build a natural connection and to improve customer satisfaction.

Competitive advantage

One way to get a leg up on your competition is to localize your products, websites, and brand materials. If your competitors aren’t already doing this, you’re a step ahead of them. If they are localizing their brand to the same target markets, you don’t want your customers to turn to them.

Let’s look at a company website as an example. Localizing your company website to meet your target market’s needs will make it so they better understand the selling points of your products, how to purchase from you, and what they need to do to access customer support. If a consumer has to choose between making a purchase from a brand that takes localization into account and one that doesn’t, there’s a good chance they’ll choose the brand that is easier to understand and that resonates more with them. 

Improved accessibility

Localization can also help increase your brand’s accessibility. More than 5% of the population is impacted by hearing loss, which makes audio and video content inaccessible to millions of people if there are no subtitles for that content available in their language. When you localize subtitles, you improve inclusion and expand your brand reach in one fell swoop. 

Increased customer base and brand loyalty

The easier it is for a customer to interact with your brand, the more likely you are to attract and retain them. If you want to introduce your brand to a new market, localization is a crucial step to breaking into that market. Using a language that your new market clearly understands is of course a key step to take. But again, localization takes translation a step further. Because localization takes local culture into account, you can use this process to avoid causing offense to customers and to create content and products that are more likely to appeal to them. 

At the end of the day, customers who feel seen and heard will always be more loyal to your brand than customers who feel like a second thought. 

ChatGPT An Introduction to the Revolutionary Language Model
02/05/2023

ChatGPT: An Introduction to the Revolutionary Language Model

There’s no doubt ChatGPT is the most buzzed-about celebrity on the internet as of late. Its applications and potential become apparent once someone starts experimenting with the tool. It truly is a marvel to behold. But what is it really, and what do you need to know about it? Let’s dive deeper into how it works and what some of its limitations are as well.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a highly advanced chatbot that utilizes cutting-edge technology to engage in natural and varied conversations with users. It is designed to be adaptive and responsive to the different needs and contexts of its users, allowing it to be applied effectively in multiple industries, including retail, education, and marketing.

With its exceptional ability to interact with humans, ChatGPT can perform a wide range of tasks that can save time and improve efficiency. It can help businesses generate marketing copy, write lyrics, navigate complex coding issues, provide language translation services, summarize information, and even support students with their homework.

ChatGPT has quickly become a groundbreaking innovation in the technology industry, and its rapid progress is evident with the release of a newer version, GPT-4. This latest update offers even more functions and enhanced capabilities that will undoubtedly take ChatGPT to the next level.

How does ChatGPT work?

ChatGPT is built on the foundation of the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) model, which is a type of artificial neural network widely used in natural language processing (NLP).

This chatbot works by analyzing a vast corpus of text data to understand the nuances of language and respond to users’ requests accurately. It can understand and interpret the meaning of a user’s input through various techniques, such as sentiment analysis, entity recognition, and machine translation, to provide appropriate responses.

One of the significant advantages of ChatGPT is its ability to adapt to different languages. Initially developed and trained in English, it now supports around 95 languages worldwide. This makes the chatbot more accessible to users from different regions, with different language preferences.

Furthermore, ChatGPT leverages the power of machine learning artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver seamless conversational experiences. It uses a range of methods, such as context-based response generation, personalized recommendations, and empathetic interactions, to enhance the chat experience and build a deeper connection with users.

ChatGPT challenges and limitations

ChatGPT is one of the newest advancements in artificial intelligence that allows users to generate human-like responses to certain queries. However, ChatGPT is not without its challenges and limitations. The main challenge with ChatGPT is the risk of data bias and the spread of misinformation. This is because AI models like ChatGPT can be influenced by the data sets they are trained on, which can lead to biased outputs.

Another limitation of ChatGPT is that it still may not be able to fully understand the context and subtlety of human communication. For instance, ChatGPT may not be able to comprehend sarcasm or irony, leading to inappropriate responses. These limitations could be harmful if ChatGPT is used in sensitive settings such as mental health support or legal advice.

It is also important to consider the ethical implications of using ChatGPT. As AI algorithms are not able to comprehend moral principles, they may produce outputs that do not align with human values. Additionally, the use of ChatGPT raises concerns about data privacy and the protection of personal information.

Lastly, ChatGPT requires continuous improvement in its development, which means that it may need to be regularly monitored and updated to ensure its accuracy and avoid the spread of misinformation. Another limitation ChatGPT warns its users about is that it has limited knowledge of the world and events after 2021. Additionally, developers of ChatGPT should consider ways to improve the model’s ability to comprehend nuance and context in human communication.

The Takeaway

In conclusion, while ChatGPT offers a groundbreaking development in AI, its challenges and limitations cannot be ignored. As such, it’s crucial that users stop for a moment and analyze the use they are about to make of it. This can be a great tool when it comes to finding inspiration and generating ideas, but it should not be relied on completely.

25/04/2023

The Challenges of Localizing L&D Content

Localizing learning and development (L&D) content can help global companies massively expand their training resources. Adapting L&D content not just into a target audience’s native language, but taking cultural differences into account, can help you create more engaging and effective educational materials.

Before you launch your next L&D localization project, read on for some of the challenges associated with this process that you should be aware of.

Selecting the Language

Although English is the most widely spoken language throughout the world, that doesn’t mean that the majority of English speakers are native speakers. As tempting as it is to save time and money by only creating L&D content only in English, be careful here. If your audience is lower in proficiency, they may struggle to gain a lot from your learning materials. Localizing the content to their native language can greatly help with engagement and retainment.

Working with Text, Audio and Video

One of the main challenges associated with localizing L&D content is the sheer scope of the project. You need to localize text, audio, and video content. Even design elements such as navigation buttons need to be taken into account during the localization process. After translating the file, the design team will need to make changes to the graphics and format of the content as the new language will present in varying lengths which can affect how the content looks and the timing of certain design elements.

Cultural Sensitivity

It’s important to find the balance between an effective e-learning course and the adaptation of particularities to accommodate the target audience. When you are adapting L&D content for a new audience, keep the following elements in mind and how they can best suit the needs and preferences of the culture you’re targeting.

Cost Effectiveness

It’s understandable why the cost is often top of mind when planning any project, but it’s important to balance cost-effectiveness with the work needed to create successful L&D materials. These are a few ways to reduce costs during localization without sacrificing quality.

  • Don’t localize until the source content is completely finalized. This will help you save time localizing edits made to the source content.
  • Provide native editable files to your localization team. Extracting text from PDFs and images or converting .story files into .xliffs is time-consuming and requires extra formatting work.
  • Choose between localizing subtitles or voice-over content. If you can’t afford to localize both, select whichever format plays a more prominent role.

Finding the Right Partner

Finding a partner that has the experience and the ability to advise as well as deliver a quality product is imperative to the success of a localization project. Localization requires a nuanced understanding of cultural differences and in the case of L&D content your project will benefit from the vast knowledge of e-learning best practices. Looking for a localization partner that can check off all these boxes can make a huge impact when it comes to the end result of your project.

The Takeaway

If possible, start thinking about your multilingual program from the very beginning. If you already have a monolingual course that you need to be localized into multiple languages, seek out expert advice. A localization partner with experience in localization of L&D content will help you determine how to proceed with each element of your training course.

18/04/2023

How Culturalization Unlocks Global Success for Companies

Culturalization refers to the process of adapting a product, service, or idea to the cultural norms and values of a specific group or society. This can include changes to the language, design, packaging, marketing, and other elements to make it more appealing and relevant to the target culture. Culturalization is often used in the context of global business and marketing, so companies try to adapt their products and services to different cultural markets in an attempt to expand their business.

Keep reading to learn more about how culturalization unlocks global success for companies.

The types of content that generally need culturalization

Certain types of content can especially benefit from culturalization. Creative content—such as movies, literature, video games, and apps—in particular can benefit from this process. Marketing campaigns are a good example of content that can fall flat without culturalization. Advertisements, brochures, and other marketing materials should be culturally appropriate to ensure that they resonate with the target audience. This can include any written text, audio text, images, or music included in a marketing campaign.

Creative industries are not the only ones that should be mindful of the benefits of culturalization. Culturalization takes geopolitical affairs into account as well. Businesses in any industry can easily find themselves in trouble if they inadvertently cause offense. Even seemingly inoffensive things can be interpreted as controversial political stances. For example, what you call a country or the maps you display can be considered offensive even if they seem innocent at first glance to someone not from the target culture. Not only can a blunder like this upset a new audience you want to make progress in, it can cause you to waste a lot of time and money on an unsuccessful launch.

How culturalization works in practice

Culturalization compares a company’s content goals with the style of content that would appeal to its target market—to later reconcile the two.

This is why it’s so important to hire localization and target market specialists who have experience with culturalization and who are native to the target audience you want to enter. They will not only understand the language needs of the audience but will be able to help your content be as effective as possible by guiding you toward making choices that will truly resonate.

The takeaway

When it comes to culturalization, adopting a proactive approach where the content is appropriate for the target market from the beginning can avoid damaging the reputation of the brand and increase the chance of making a positive first impression. This proactive approach can help your brand save a lot of time and money cleaning up a mess you could have avoided in the first place. You can work with a seasoned localization team to create a strong culturalization strategy that will help your business achieve your goals.

04/04/2023

What is Language Access and Why is it Important?

Language access makes it possible for individuals and the businesses or organizations they interact with to communicate when they don’t speak the same language. In some cases, such as with certain federal agencies, language access is actually a legal requirement. Even if language access isn’t required by law, businesses can benefit financially and can improve their customer service efforts and brand reputation by turning to translation services to improve language access for their customers.

Let’s take a closer look at what language access is, why it matters, and how much of the U.S. population it can affect.

What is Language Access?

Language access is an important aspect of accessibility for people with limited English proficiency (LEP). The term language access refers to the ability of individuals to communicate effectively and access information, services, and opportunities in their preferred language. Similar to how certain accommodations must be made for those with physical disabilities (such as businesses having wheelchair ramps), language access is a key element to building an inclusive society.

Why is Language Access important?

Language access can help ensure that LEP individuals have equal access to services and opportunities, all while reducing barriers and promoting inclusivity. This can be especially important in situations where individuals rely on services for essential needs, such as healthcare, education, or legal assistance.

For example, medical patients need to be able to communicate with their medical care team in a language they fully understand. That way, there is no confusion around a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription. Not being able to fully understand medical care can lead to dangerous results. Even medical records and insurance claims can benefit from embracing language access.

Understanding LEP in the US

To better understand why language access matters, it’s important to have context surrounding just how many people this affects in the U.S.

LEP individuals don’t speak English as their primary language and have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that nearly 21 percent of the U.S. population speaks a language other than English, and of that percentage more than 40 percent speak English less than “very well.”

It’s easy to see how a large amount of the U.S. population could lose equal access to vital education, legal, or healthcare services due to language barriers.

The Takeaway

It is important for organizations and businesses to be aware of the language needs of their customers and clients and to take steps to provide language access when necessary. This can involve providing interpretation services, offering materials in multiple languages, or hiring staff who speak multiple languages. Hiring professional translators to translate content can help improve language access across a wide variety of industries. You can work with a highly specialized translation company to ensure you’re providing clear and correct content to LEP individuals.